The tide rises, the tide falls
by Nobody426
Summary: Angst and love, tragedy and comedy. Snippets and dabbles of some characters' life or what-ifs concerning the PJO universe. A collection of one-shot, sometimes silly, fluffy and funny, sometimes sad, heart-breaking and angst-y. You never know what life has to offer. First stop: Percy never thought accepting immortality would translate to being isolated and shunned by Annabeth Chase
1. Chapter 1

**Evanescence**

**Started**: Feb. 14th, 2012 11: 59pm (Happy Valentine's Day!)

**Finished**: Jan. 20th, 2013 3:35pm

He sank to the bottom of his throne as sparkling blue bubbles raced each other to the top of his palace. He couldn't believe it was already a millennium.

Precisely a millennium since the day she died. Oh, how he missed his Wise Girl, her blathering about architecture, how he never had the chance to bring her to the Parthenon… Even after the Second Titans War.

He couldn't. He just betrayed her like that. He wasn't thinking.

He chose to be a god.

And nothing he did could change himself back.

He was naïve, thinking that she would actually abandon her whole life for him without thinking. He thought that she lost everything already, her family, Luke, Thalia… He thought that she would have no problem having him to make her a goddess.

He was wrong. She was not the one to abandon the rest of her mortal friends, her half-siblings, what was left of her family… He thought he made the right choice.

But he could not be any more wrong.

It started with am impulsive decision on his part, separating him from all his friends—their friends, his own mother, stepfather, the unborn baby half-sister, and most importantly, Annabeth Chase, the girl of his dreams.

He couldn't understand at first, why she stopped talking to him after his weeks and months of plastering. And then, of course, he became rather impatient and nearly forced her to submit to him during a particularly bitter winter evening. That was the last straw, and his worst mistake.

She stopped talking to him, claiming that he had changed and she really didn't know him anymore. That he is a god, and she was a mere mortal who shouldn't ask for more than she could handle. He bit back with a bitter remark on how she was just obsessed with architecture—and wouldn't she want to design and build for forever and see the glory and legend of her own creation one day?

It wouldn't be a legend if she were still here, she said in a poor attempt to stop his questioning. She was quite stubborn, and he thought it was just one of the many qualities to why he had always loved her. He kept on pushing, insisting that together, they could build something that would last more than millenniums and civilizations.

She hit him with reality—that yes, she was now a college student, and yes, she had a boyfriend of her own now, thank you very much. And said boyfriend loves her in a way that more than he ever could. That if the two swapped places, said boyfriend would definitely give her up out of respect and love for her, for her happiness and a better life.

He'd shut up after that, and he never goes to talk to her directly anymore afterwards. He submerged himself with duties and work, and whipped up one of the biggest storms that human civilization has ever witnessed.

Her voice would appear in his dreams occasionally, accusing him of being selfish and obsessed. Then he would silently scream shut up—shut up—shut up to her repeatedly until he falls into a dark slumber, completed with silence above all.

He missed her.

But he couldn't have her.

For she was already dead and gone, and married—to the same boyfriend (who he imagined to be a filthy jerk-face) she had during her college years, and had kids of her own that he never had, and she had grown old happily in the arms of another man and their herd of children.

-Children with soft blonde hair and intelligent gray eyes that should have been his, if he were to choose again.

The same children that he watched growing up, the same children that he protected all along because dammit—they should be his. He fought off monsters for them so many times, that they have started to recognize him as Mister Monster Fighter during their younger years, and he was forced to watch and protect from afar again in fear of being recognized from her.

His heart was already smashed into so many little pieces, scattered all over and within the waves of ocean. He was disgusted by his own cowardice many times, but he knew that in a way, this is what love is—giving up so that the other could be happier. He continued to watch them because he wanted them safe.

He knew that the inevitable would come one day, but it came several years too soon.

The news crashed head on to him one day, when he felt his heart jerking violently and something wasn't right—the children, who were then grown adults—were crying desperately. His heart fell and tumbled and twisted and turned.

That was the end. He knew. That was the end of his existence, because he had nothing to live for, to exist for anymore. If anything happened to her, oh, he couldn't imagine- Selfishly, he hoped that it was just the boyfriend turned husband turned father getting into an accident, but he pushed it out of his mind. Either way, his heart is yet again trampled upon and thrown into the depths of Tartarus.

It was worse than he had hoped.

Looking at the broken body of Annabeth Chase, he was stunned into utter silence. In the back of his mind, he was insane enough to laugh and cheer and chuckle—because the insanity is finally over—and all that torture and heartbreak is over. He would never have to endure another episode of Looking From Afar, and he could finally just rest—

But even in her death, she glowed the ethereal glow that only a beautiful woman such as she could achieve. The half smile touched her lips, but he knew that it wasn't directed to him.

It was directed to her husband, who stuck through thick and thin for her all through these years, the shoulder she cried on when he left her; the one whom she shared joy and love and everything else in between. The one who would be waiting for her in Elysium.

He was wishing that he could just die when one of the children kicked him out of the funeral, not recognizing their guardian angel from so many years ago.

And yet, he lived on, with the sea, with the waves. Because he couldn't die—literally, and also because he would not be worthy of her if they ever see each other again in the afterlife.

**Because when you like/love somebody, you give him/her up so he/she could be happier, right? (Because I really hope he's happy right now. I am effing depressed here.)**

**Reviews would be nice.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Nevermore**

**Inspiration: **_I bet Leo will be the one to close the Doors of Death from the inside since Nemesis told him he will be alone forever. Always the seventh wheel. In Boy, come on!" Piper cried out as another wave of rocks showered on the group of eight demigods. ~hannahcambell11_

The six has finally found the entrance to Tartarus under Nico diAngelo's guidance, and after a short while fighting off the constantly regenerating monsters, they finally found a half-conscious Annabeth and a very tired Percy Jackson fighting off the Minotaur, again. Frank had turned into a dragon, and seared the Minotaur, loincloth and all, into oblivion. Only then was Percy allowed a little break as Nico summoned some skeletons to carry Annabeth back on Argo II.

Now that the rescue mission was success, the eight were hurrying back as the cave was about to crumble on them. The eight hurried out of the Doors of Death and looked back, several monsters still trailing behind.

"It's not working!" Nico shouted, frustrated as he failed to close the Doors. Hazel was at his sides, holding her older half brother as he concentrated again. The Earth shook, but nothing came out of it.

"Oh no." Leo muttered quietly to himself. He knew what was going on—after all, Nemesis did tell him that he would be alone forever. He understood that someone must stay inside to close the door—that has to be done. The six understood the principal of the mission before they set out to rescue Percy and Annabeth, although they never settled on whom to sacrifice.

He had to do it. He finally understood. This was Leo's destiny all along.

Leo lit both of his hands on fire. He looked at the tired couple who just came out of Tartarus, to the still-exhausted Nico diAngelo, to Hazel and Frank who were grasping each other, and his best friends—Piper and Jason Grace who were still miserable from Coach Gleeson's loss, and he knew that it was time.

"You guys go. I'll… I'll stay and take care of those." He looked at his hands, and directed his inquiring eyes to Piper. "I trust that you know how to captain the ship, Beauty Quenn. Just don't crash my baby."

"But Leo—" Piper tried to protest.

"It's alright. You look after her, Superman." Leo looked at Jason, who merely nodded in response.

"And Frank, you look after Hazel. Promise me." Leo gulped, unable to look at Hazel Levesque in the eyes. Too painful. Others were starting to catch on, but none of them made an offer to trade with Leo. They knew that they were selfish, but they couldn't help it. They have someone else to live for, too.

"Percy." Leo sighed, "I know you don't like me, but I really didn't want to offend you for anything. Really! I just… I'm sorry." Leo said to a very confused Percy, still not understanding what was actually happening.

"Do you understand what you must do on the other side, Leo?" Nico asked, gritting his teeth as he tried to block the monsters by shaking parts of the Underworld. "I've got to stay on this side of the Door to close it, and you… Well. Try not to let any monsters go through here."

"I won't." Leo said, determined to do all his can to let his friends escape as safely as possible. He scanned everyone for the one last time, trying to memorize all their faces.

"Goodbye. I'll… I'll see you all again in Elysium." He was close to the rocky entrance, rocks still falling and threatening to cover everything in its path. Leo looked at Hazel briefly, tears threatening to pour out of her eyes.

"I… I love you." He mouthed to her, and the last thing he saw before the rocks buried the entrance was her beautiful, beautiful golden eyes.

**...Ouch. You can tell how 'well' I'm faring recently. Reviews would be nice. Following me on tumblr would be nice, too. (The url is of course, Nobody426).**


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